Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God
our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Text:
(John 4:46-54)
They
said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father
knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.”
Prayer:
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in
your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Our Gospel reading today begins by saying that Jesus
came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.
In the Gospel of John, it says that the miracle where
Jesus turned the water into wine was the first of his signs. At the end
of our reading today, it says: This was now the second sign that Jesus did
when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
So you can see that these two miracles are connected.
They are also quiet miracles, they are not showy. Jesus changes the water into
wine, but out in the back room: many of the people at the wedding might not
have known that there was a shortage of wine. It says in the reading that his
disciples believed in him, but not necessarily anyone else. Also, in our
reading today, Jesus promises a man that his son will live and then he goes
home and experiences the wonderful joy of the miracle when Jesus is not even
there. So often, when we think of miracles, we think of some great meeting, with
thousands of people in attendance, and people one by one being carried up the
front in wheelchairs. We forget that Jesus performed his first and second
miracle, quietly, with very little fuss, with very little show. The benefit was
completely for the people, and the glory was completely for God the Father.
So we know that Jesus had already once visited Cana to
attend a wedding, at which he turned water into wine. In our Gospel reading
today, he returns to the same town, to Cana, to strengthen them in their faith
and to build on the work he had already started.
It’s strange how a lot of what has happened in the
Gospel of John up to this point has been in the background, and behind closed
doors. In chapter 2, Jesus goes to the wedding at Cana and out in the back room
changes the water into wine. In chapter 3, Jesus has a wonderful conversation with
Nicodemus. Nicodemus doesn’t meet Jesus in the middle of the day, but comes to
him secretly, quietly, at night-time. Then in John chapter 4, Jesus goes and
has a conversation with a woman from Samaria—Samaria being a place where Jews
didn’t like to go very much.
So far, Jesus has been in Galilee and Samaria—not much
has been happening in the big city, in Jerusalem. Jesus has been doing
wonderful work, but working in quiet corners.
So we read: Jesus came again to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose
son was ill.
Cana and Capernaum were two towns that were about 35kms
apart. Jesus turns up in Cana, and nevertheless, in Capernaum, a man hears
about it.
Notice here that even though Jesus is doing quiet work,
people are always talking about it. Maybe people are talking about him because
they like him—this is often how we imagine it. But also, there were many people
who didn’t like Jesus—otherwise Nicodemus would have met him in the daytime.
That’s why he came to Jesus at night. So it’s amazing that Jesus’ reputation
spreads all around, sometimes through the people who like him, but probably
even more through the people who hated him and wanted to get rid of him. The
good news of Jesus always spreads under the cross and through the cross.
So as Jesus turns up in Cana, it doesn’t take a very
long time for an official, probably one of King Herod’s officers, to find out
about it 40kms away. And it doesn’t take the man very long to travel this
distance to go and meet Jesus himself.
In Greek, this man is called a “royal” man. He was either
royalty himself, and was part of the royal family of King Herod, or else he
worked for the king, and was kind of “public servant”.
So we read: When this man heard that Jesus had come
down from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his
son, for he was at the point of death.
From a human point of view, it looks like this man is a
strong believer. He must have heard about Jesus, and he hears that Jesus is
35kms away, so he makes the effort to go and meet him, and ask him to come and
heal his son.
And nevertheless, Jesus says to him: Unless you see
signs and wonders, you will not believe.
Now, why did Jesus criticise this man? Why didn’t Jesus
commend and encourage this man for his faith?
Maybe this man had a weak faith, a lukewarm faith, or a
cold faith, but Jesus treats this man as if he had no faith at all. It’s almost
as if Jesus treats him as if the only reason why he travelled all that distance
was to get him to put on a show. It’s as if the only reason why this man came
to Jesus was to put him to the test and then to sit back and watch what he
could do.
Jesus says: Unless you see signs and wonders, you
will not believe.
There are a lot of people today who are like this: and
maybe you think like this too. People say, “Where is God today? If God would
come and speak to me personally out of a burning bush, I would believe him.” Would
they really? Or maybe instead, they would believe simply in the burning
bush, and not in Jesus himself! Listen to Jesus words: Unless you see. People
say, “Seeing is believing.” But this is wrong – this isn’t the way Jesus works.
Some people also base their entire faith on what they
can feel. “If I feel good, then Christianity must be true.” But is the faith
built on Jesus and his word, or on the feelings of their own heart?
We need to ask ourselves and examine our own hearts:
Are we just wanting Jesus to perform some kind of magic trick for us?
So Jesus points us away from the miracles. He almost wipes
them off as if they are insignificant. Instead, he points us to his words. He
also teaches this man a valuable lesson: not to trust in miracles, but in him,
in Jesus himself. Jesus wants the people not simply to watch him and see what
he does, but he wants them to listen to him, to listen to each of his words and
taste them, one by one, and to get to know his character, his heart, his longing
for each sheep to be part of his flock.
So the man says to Jesus: Sir, come down before my
child dies.
Don’t come because of me, don’t come because of the
prestige it will bring me and my house, don’t come because of the honour and
glory people will give me, don’t come even to perform a sign or a wonder or a
miracle. Just come because of my child. I’m desperate: give me some hope. I’m
helpless: come and give me your help.
Later in the gospel of John, Martha and Mary say to Jesus:
Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. That’s true.
But at the same time, Jesus can raise the dead. And it’s true: if Jesus would
go to Capernaum with the official, his son would be protected from death. But even
if the child died, Jesus could still raise the child.
Parents will do anything for the health of their
children. People often ask why children sometimes have to suffer in this life.
People often ask why children sometimes die, and why parents sometimes have to
bury their children. These are the sorts of thoughts that were probably going
around this man’s mind. He wants to try everything to help his child.
Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.”
What a powerful word Jesus gives! What a simple word he
gives, but a word that is spoke both simply and also with authority!
Jesus shows here that, in some sense, when he is
invited to a place, he is present there, even if he is absent. The official
invites Jesus to his house, and even though Jesus doesn’t go there, the power
of his word travels back to Capernaum much more quickly than the man had travelled
to Jesus. Jesus didn’t yell or scream in such a way that his voice could be
heard 35kms away, and yet the word of Jesus is heard back all the way back in
Capernaum.
Jesus fixes the problem in a way that only God can fix
a problem. He fixes it with his word. The human solution is for Jesus to travel
to Capernaum and fix the problem in person: but Jesus fixes the problem simply with
his word. He says: Go; your son will live.
Here we get a little taste of what will happen when
Jesus ascends into heaven. Jesus sits at the right hand of God, and this right
hand of God is everywhere. This means that every time the words of Jesus are
spoken, at any one time all around the world, Jesus is there, in person,
speaking them himself. And today, there are two churches in Cana and in
Capernaum. And if two people were baptised in both of those churches at the
same time, Jesus would be in both of them performing the baptism himself, with
his own hands and through his own word. If two pastors in both of those
churches were preaching the word of God in a sermon, we know that Jesus would
be in both of those places at once. If both of those churches were celebrating
the Lord’s Supper at the same time, we know that Jesus would be in both of
those churches, feeding both groups of people with his own body and blood at
the same time.
Now, how is this possible? Because Jesus is seated at
the right hand of God, and God’s right hand is everywhere. If God himself can
be in both places at the same time, so can Jesus Christ in his human flesh. And
how do we know that Jesus is here? Through his word. Lord, to whom shall we
go? You have the words of eternal life.
Jesus gives us a little taste of this in our reading,
where we see that even though he was in Cana, he heals a man in Capernaum. And
this miraculous healing happens, through Christ’s word.
So we read: The man believed the word that Jesus
spoke to him and went on his way. What great faith this man has now! He
doesn’t bother Jesus any further. He doesn’t beg him to come and lay his hands
on him. Jesus’ touch isn’t needed, when he’s got his promise! The promise of
Jesus is his touch! Jesus’ presence isn’t needed, when he’s got his powerful
word. Jesus is always present together with his word!
We read: As he was going down, his servants met him
and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he
began to get better.
Even though Jesus had promised this to him when he left
Cana, the man still wanted to know whether or not it had happened by accident
or by chance. Was his son healed simply because nature took its course, or
because of the word of Jesus?
They said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the
fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your
son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household.
The seventh hour is a very unusual time. On our clocks,
the seventh hour is 1pm. So the servants give him a very precise time. They don’t
say: at lunch time, or after lunch, or early in the afternoon. They say: Yesterday
at the seventh hour. Then, we read he believed.
We already read that he believed Jesus when he left
Cana, but now that he comes home, it says he believed again. The man’s faith becomes
stronger each day, and Jesus gives him a new encouragement for the new day.
This man’s faith was weak, it grew stronger, and it reached maturity.
Sometimes, Christians are also encouraged by these
little coincidences. Maybe it comes into our minds to pray for someone for no apparent
reason, or to ring them, or visit them. And then we realise later, that this
person needed our prayers at that precise time, or was in some desperate need
of a friendly voice when we called them, or was helped in a specific way by our
visit. Jesus arranges the timing of these events, and he wants us to be
encouraged by them. We cannot begin to imagine how generously and how
miraculously and how wonderfully Jesus is coordinating our life and blessing us
and protecting us through all sorts of little things, which we think are pure
coincidence!
Think about Jesus’ words: Do not be anxious about
tomorrow. How often it is so hard for us to believe these words when we
find ourselves in a pickle! And how often we find out that we didn’t need to
worry as much as thought we needed to! For those who love God all things work
together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Remember the promise in Proverbs: Trust in the Lord
with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your
ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
So be encouraged by the word of Jesus! Be encouraged
and strengthened by each little good nugget he throws our way! Jesus will not
send you home empty, and even if you have travelled a long way and for a long
time to meet him, he will give you his word of promise, his words of forgiveness,
his words of everlasting life into your lap. And when we go home with nothing
but Jesus’ words in our pockets, we have everything we need.
Amen.
Lord Jesus, come and strengthen us today and keep us
firm in your word and in faith. Encourage us and protect us this week. Give
healing to our bodies and to our loved ones, if not in this life, then in the
next life. Increase our faith and help it to grow each day anew and afresh.
Amen.
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